Release of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal's study The creative industries: catalysts of wealth and influence for Metropolitan Montréal

MONTREAL, Dec. 2, 2013 /CNW Telbec/ - Today, the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal released the results of its study The creative industries: catalysts of wealth and influence for Metropolitan Montréal. The study shows that these industries generated economic benefits of $8.6 billion and provided the city with 91,500 direct jobs in 2012.

"Over and over, we have witnessed the genius of our creators, and their success helps build the city's international reputation," said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. "We already knew that the city was a leading centre of creativity; the study released today proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that Montréal is one of North America's most important major cities for the creative industries. This finding is more than just a source of pride, since the creative industries, which include architecture and design, the arts, media, multimedia, fashion and advertising, generate skilled jobs in sectors of the future and create exclusive products and original experiences, for which global demand is booming."

"The concentration of creative talent in the Montréal area is a major driver of the city's economy," said Jean-François Lisée, Minister responsible for the Montréal region. "The study on creative industries draws a realistic portrait of this sector, which has strong potential for growth. The city's creative industries, including a number of companies that are already economic flagships and ambassadors for Québec on the international scene, can only benefit from concerted efforts to increase their competitiveness. This is why our government is taking action in this direction, as outlined in the new Economic Policy ‒ Putting Jobs First, which makes this area one of the priorities for receiving support."

"The city's invaluable cultural diversity and its renowned universities and other teaching institutions have enabled creative talent ‒ the raw material of the creative industries ‒ to flourish," said Montréal Mayor and President of the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, Denis Coderre. "We are currently reaping the rewards of this, but we are also facing the exciting challenge of developing this promising sector for the Montréal economy. Collective initiatives require the involvement of the city's stakeholders, because employment in the creative industries is concentrated here, representing 70% of the Québec total."

"The Board of Trade is offering a series of opportunities for engagement that private and public stakeholders can get involved in to ramp up the development of this strategic sector," Mr. Leblanc said. "Together, we have promoted the emergence of know-how and a vibrant cultural and artistic scene in Montréal. We have taken advantage of new information technologies to create new products and forms of expression from this talent. We need to build on international successes, like Cirque du Soleil, Moment Factory and gsmprjct°, to keep promoting our creators."

"In a context of globalization, digital technology and convergence, this promotional strategy will require joint action from decision makers and players from the creative industry ecosystem, drawing on the experience of the leading businesses and artisans in the sector," Mr. Leblanc said. "This is why we are holding a Strategic Forum on December 6 that will bring together over 400 participants to facilitate encounters and help mobilize the community."

A six-part strategy to promote the creative industries:

1. Stay focused on talent to maintain a critical mass of creators in every creative industry subsector
2. Stimulate exploration to put in place conditions that foster creativity
3. Consolidate businesses by encouraging the shift from creator to entrepreneur and the emergence of more medium-sized businesses
4. Value intellectual property to generate wealth
5. Support commercialization to further promote local creativity
6. Strengthen Montréal's influence and positioning as a creative industry hub

Link to the study: http://www.ccmm.qc.ca/etudeindustriescreatives (English to come)

About the study
The study The creative industries: catalysts of wealth and influence for Metropolitan Montréal was produced by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, in partnership with the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal, Québec's Ministère des Finances et de l'Économie, the Secrétariat à la région métropolitaine, the Ville de Montréal, the Québec Film and Television Council and the Association of Quebec Advertising Agencies, in collaboration with KPMG-SECOR.

About the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal is made up of some 7,000 members. Its mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity, and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

SOURCE: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

Source: 
Michelle LLambias Meunier
Advisor, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: [phone], ext. 4042
[email protected]

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